Though the frontrunners of BIIF DI and DII have already been all but decided, plenty of teams still have opportunities to scrap their way to a higher spot in the standings.
This weekend will see several decisive late-season faceoffs that are sure to be exciting, emotional and closely matched.
The Editor’s picks for the top games to watch this weekend are: Pahoa at Ka‘u and Honoka‘a at Hawaii Prep.
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PAHOA AT KA‘U
The pair of lower-east-isle teams will meet for the second time at 1 p.m. on Saturday, this time on Trojan territory.
The Daggers won 26-6 during the pair’s first meeting at the start of the season, but the game remained close through the first half.
Much of Ka‘u’s woes came from frequently having too few or too many players on the field — as the team struggled with early-season disorganization.
Now well into their season and with a couple of wins notched onto their belts — including a massive, 60-14 rout of Kohala HS last weekend — the Trojans (2-4) are about to face their last chance to climb atop the ranks of the isle’s three former eight-man teams.
Just as much is at stake for the Daggers, who also stand at 2-4. Pahoa has also made major advancements throughout the season, giving Hawaii Prep a good fight last week before ultimately falling 28-14.
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HONOKA‘A AT HPA
HPA will look to use a home field advantage to even the score with Honoka‘a — kicking off at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Whichever team wins this match become the No. 2 team in BIIF DII behind undefeated KS-Hawai‘i.
Both the Dragons and Ka Makani will have chips on their shoulders after each getting routed 49-0 by the Warriors this month.
The pair’s first matchup — a nailbiter at the Dragons’ house — ended with Honoka‘a winning 13-12.
Both HHS and HPA have 4-2 records, with Honoka‘a a smidge ahead in the rankings because of its victory over HPA.
All HPA will need in order to jump over the Dragons in the standings is a victory of more than one point.
Ka Makani will also be searching for some confidence going into its next two matches against Ka‘u and Kohala.
In its last encounters with the Trojans and Cowboys — earlier this month — HPA was too close for comfort.
HPA blew past the Trojans with a 20-point second quarter after a scoreless first, but were outscored 8-3 in the second half. The following week, Ka Makani eked past the winless Cowboys 18-14 after entering halftime down 14-6.
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KEALAKEHE AT KEA‘AU
The Cougars will host Kealakehe, kicking off at 6 p.m. During the pair’s first meeting, Kea‘au won 48-21.
The Waveriders have had a rough season, currently 1-3 in BIIF DI play and 1-5 overall with their only win being against Waiakea HS.
While Kealakehe will be hungry for a second win, Kea‘au (3-2 BIIF, 3-3 ovr.) will be looking to make a statement and prove itself as a force in DI.
The Waveriders kept things close and scoreless through the first quarter of their last matchup against the Cougars, until Kea‘au pulled away with 35 points in the second quarter. However, Kealakehe played four quarters of football and outscored Kea‘au 14-13 in the second half.
Kealakehe’s game against Hilo looked relatively similar — no scores in the first quarter, with Hilo scoring 21 during the second.
Though the Cougars have the edge, the Waveriders will be no pushover.
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KSH AT KOHALA
Sitting at a frustrating 0-6, the Cowboys will have to fight through this tough matchup.
The Warriors have been crushing every local competitor one by one, and routed Kohala 48-7 in August — scoring 21 points in the first quarter and leading 41-7 by halftime.
However, the Cowboys made a few big plays during that game — and with more games and experience behind them, they could do more damage to KSH than last time.
